Piper PA-31-350 accident near Payson, AZ
On December 19, 2012, a Piper PA-31-350 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Payson, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 19, 2012
- Place
- Payson, AZ
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.108°N, 111.471°W
- NTSB ID
- 20121219X45033
Official records · WPR13FA072
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - ATC Certified Audio - ZAB: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - ATC Filed MOR - ZAB: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- FAA ATC Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Record of Communication: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 18, 2012, about 1825 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-31-350, N62959, was lost from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radio and radar contact about 10 miles southwest of Payson, Arizona, during an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona. The wreckage was located the following day; the pilot had received fatal injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was being operated as Ameriflight 3853 (AMF3853) as a cargo flight for United Parcel Service (UPS), and was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity at the time contact with the airplane was lost. According to information from representatives of the airline and UPS, the flight departed Holbrook Municipal Airport (P14), Holbrook, Arizona, about its scheduled time of 1700, with a scheduled arrival time of 1730 at Payson Airport (PAN), Payson. According to the driver of the UPS truck who was at PAN and was scheduled to meet the flight, he never saw or heard the airplane. The driver left PAN about 20 minutes after the flight was due. According to FAA air traffic control (ATC) information, the flight's first ATC contact was with Albuquerque air route traffic control center (designated ZAB) about 1812, when the airplane was at an altitude of about 13,500 feet; the pilot requested a clearance to PHX. The flight was assigned a discrete transponder code, radar identified, and cleared direct to PHX, with an altitude crossing restr
Probable cause
The airplane’s inadvertent encounter, in night instrument meteorological conditions, with unforecast strong up- and downdrafts and possibly severe airframe icing conditions (which likely included supercooled large droplets that the airplane was not certificated to fly in) that led to the pilot's loss of airplane control.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
